Sharing from the perspective of a new mom of 2.. somehow adding one extra child has sent our family admin totally off the rails. With one kid I felt like we had a decent handle on it.. now, our accountant had to email us about 4 times just to get our signatures for our tax filing.
something I’m realizing is that work travel plays a big role in how family admin gets allocated, and also makes it difficult to establish rhythms. My husband travels a lot for work so it’s hard for him to fully own any of the day to day admin as he’s a) away often and b) away for different amounts of time, on different days of the week, etc. If anyone has ideas for establishing rhythms with a partner who travels a lot I am all ears!
Ugh. Totally understand needing to be chased for signatures (and sometimes payments!). Travel is brutal. The only answers I'm aware of in a two-working-parent family with young kids when one partner travels frequently are to either have a live-in nanny, or two nannies so they can switch off shifts, or have a family member come and stay. And to be clear, regardless of travel schedules, it's tough to establish any kind of "rhythm" with two little ones who are constantly entering new developmental stages!
We have shared calendars and a shared grocery list. I'm intrigued by the idea of a shared email. I have had a number of families in my class over the years who have had this. Is it successful? Or does it mean the family admin has another email to check?
We go for walks to debrief and plan for the week and reflect on the household.
We have a shared calendar, shared grocery list, shared to-do list, and a shared email address. We used to have a weekly check-in but with two kids and a mushy post-partum brain it's now a very fast evening review- usually during dinner- where we assign and claim tasks. Our rhythms change frequently with every new physical or cognitive leap!
Yes! "Family Admin." I felt a similar rush of relief when I learned this term not long ago. There is a real name for all of that stuff that seems to always grow, rather than shrink, even with scheduled time and diligence in checking things off. Having a shared name for this with my partner was a huge step forward.
I also purchased the Fair Play deck and mentioned it once or twice as something we should. We even scheduled time for me to intro the concept. Um, no follow-up since and that was many months ago. I see the deck now, propping up another book on my shelf. Thanks, @sarah, for the nudge to re-open it!
This is so FA-101, but just this week I started a FA notebook, and feel better about compiling all sticky notes, papers, forms, etc. in one place with semblance of organization and some prioritization.
A shared family calendar that all four of us (including two teens who live at home) help to manage has been essential.
I'm embarrassed, but will share in this space that I do little (honestly, close to nill) in the meal planning department. Every day, I grapple with "what's for dinner," just like the kids...I have scheduled time for this coming Sunday to try to establish that habit - with my husband.
One hack that might be useful for others, if kids are minimally able to self-organize (using that loosely), amidst the morning rush. I try to be in the highly traffic-ed kitchen area, if I'm not doing much of substance, to be there for reminders and questions, but my task is also to get at least one easy FA thing done that I can do in that context - where I need to be available, but maybe not doing anything concrete. This works moderately well when I'm able to schedule my morning routine align with the timing.
Such a relevant and ongoing topic. Good luck, Moms!
Hey Sarah - no idea how this works. But in our house it is full division. I never worry about groceries or cooking and he only worries about doctors if I cannot make an appointment and put it on his calendar. Sometimes we get bored of a job and swap for a bit.
Sharing from the perspective of a new mom of 2.. somehow adding one extra child has sent our family admin totally off the rails. With one kid I felt like we had a decent handle on it.. now, our accountant had to email us about 4 times just to get our signatures for our tax filing.
something I’m realizing is that work travel plays a big role in how family admin gets allocated, and also makes it difficult to establish rhythms. My husband travels a lot for work so it’s hard for him to fully own any of the day to day admin as he’s a) away often and b) away for different amounts of time, on different days of the week, etc. If anyone has ideas for establishing rhythms with a partner who travels a lot I am all ears!
Ugh. Totally understand needing to be chased for signatures (and sometimes payments!). Travel is brutal. The only answers I'm aware of in a two-working-parent family with young kids when one partner travels frequently are to either have a live-in nanny, or two nannies so they can switch off shifts, or have a family member come and stay. And to be clear, regardless of travel schedules, it's tough to establish any kind of "rhythm" with two little ones who are constantly entering new developmental stages!
We have shared calendars and a shared grocery list. I'm intrigued by the idea of a shared email. I have had a number of families in my class over the years who have had this. Is it successful? Or does it mean the family admin has another email to check?
We go for walks to debrief and plan for the week and reflect on the household.
I am also curious about the mechanics of who checks the email account, who is responsible for replying, etc. Will see if we can get a guest post!
We have a shared calendar, shared grocery list, shared to-do list, and a shared email address. We used to have a weekly check-in but with two kids and a mushy post-partum brain it's now a very fast evening review- usually during dinner- where we assign and claim tasks. Our rhythms change frequently with every new physical or cognitive leap!
I'm curious how the shared email address works in practice. Will have to invite you to share more about that when you have more of your brain back!
Yes! "Family Admin." I felt a similar rush of relief when I learned this term not long ago. There is a real name for all of that stuff that seems to always grow, rather than shrink, even with scheduled time and diligence in checking things off. Having a shared name for this with my partner was a huge step forward.
I also purchased the Fair Play deck and mentioned it once or twice as something we should. We even scheduled time for me to intro the concept. Um, no follow-up since and that was many months ago. I see the deck now, propping up another book on my shelf. Thanks, @sarah, for the nudge to re-open it!
This is so FA-101, but just this week I started a FA notebook, and feel better about compiling all sticky notes, papers, forms, etc. in one place with semblance of organization and some prioritization.
A shared family calendar that all four of us (including two teens who live at home) help to manage has been essential.
I'm embarrassed, but will share in this space that I do little (honestly, close to nill) in the meal planning department. Every day, I grapple with "what's for dinner," just like the kids...I have scheduled time for this coming Sunday to try to establish that habit - with my husband.
One hack that might be useful for others, if kids are minimally able to self-organize (using that loosely), amidst the morning rush. I try to be in the highly traffic-ed kitchen area, if I'm not doing much of substance, to be there for reminders and questions, but my task is also to get at least one easy FA thing done that I can do in that context - where I need to be available, but maybe not doing anything concrete. This works moderately well when I'm able to schedule my morning routine align with the timing.
Such a relevant and ongoing topic. Good luck, Moms!
Yes! I try to turn over one load of laundry while monitoring morning toothbrushing, and breakfast is my favorite time to prep for dinner.
Will definitely pick up calendars and "to-do" lists in separate posts. So curious how everyone manages these.
Sunday meal planning works well for us. We have a monthly meal-plan calendar that has worked well for us for a few years. Something like this: https://www.strivezen.com/fridge-calendar-2026-to-2027-minimalist-design/
Hey Sarah - no idea how this works. But in our house it is full division. I never worry about groceries or cooking and he only worries about doctors if I cannot make an appointment and put it on his calendar. Sometimes we get bored of a job and swap for a bit.
I like this idea that the roles, jobs, are not written in stone, @Nathalie. Nice.